Hampshire Economic Partnership Key Achievements
This year Hampshire Economic Partnership (HEP) has achieved the following:
Business Engagement
- HEP continues to be an active member of SEERA and has been appointed to its Executive Committee. HEP chaired the SEERA scrutiny committee on SEEDA’s Business Support and Business Link programs – the report from this committee was accepted.
- Listed via task groups as an economic participant at the S Hants and Western Corridor and Blackwater valley. Direct business input to the panel
- RE Task group published a response to the Matthew Taylor Review on Rural Economy and Affordable Housing
- HEP IL+P task group consulted and listed as a contributor in the latest Barker report
- Innovation and Enterprise Task Group provided a response to SEEDA’s ‘Consultation Paper on the development of Place Based Innovation Teams’.
- Strengthened business engagement via the unique HEP task group structure. Membership now over 200. Focused work programme on 3 actions all directly related to Hampshire’s strategic priorities
- Sponsored the annual Marine Schools Challenge Race Day with over 30 craft competing
- Is supporting Southern Water with a roadshow across the South East to present its draft Business Plan and receive feedback
- Marine Policy Group is working with others across the marine sector to publicise the Solent Waterfront Strategy study and inform Local Authority planning departments of the importance of the marine sector
- Employed two Investor Development Managers to maintain relationships with Hampshire corporates, and build on the innovation agenda.
- The draft of the 2008-2011 LAA has now been approved by the Secretary of State.
- The LAA is a three year agreement between partners in Hampshire and the Government. It sets out the main priorities and targets for public services across Hampshire. The agreement contains 33 joint local - national targets for Hampshire designated by the Secretary of State, 16 statutory education and early years targets, and 13 additional local targets.
- HEP has been involved as a lead partner on Theme B—Employment, skills and business support. LAA Targets under this theme have been set for:
• The overall employment rate
• Skills levels (NVQ levels 2,3 and 4)
• Business start ups
• Businesses/ 1,000 population
• Earnings in targeted areas where there is a comparative gap - The targets are broken into smaller area units for 1. North east Hampshire; 2. Basingstoke – as a separate area and designated ‘diamond for growth’; 3. Mid and rural Hampshire; 4. South Hampshire including the four urban Boroughs which also link into the Multi-area Agreement prepared by the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire
- The Hampshire Economic Partnership will continue to support the LAA with its chair, Caroline Williams , continuing in her role as an LAA Board Director. Andrew Lloyd, chair of the HEP Executive, will also continue in his role as a member of the LAA Executive
- Lead on the Hampshire LAA Economic Block. Fostered better partnership working. Major impact on Rural economy refresh to linked measurable economic outcomes
- HEP has brokered linkages and common goals and outcomes between the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton economic block LAA’s
- HEP is represented on the PUSH economic panel. A member of the LAA group and the HEP IL+P task group chairs the PUSH land and property group
- Direct influence and input on the proposed Hampshire Observatory. Conducted customer research, influenced team thinking. Final proposal based on HEP concept and will save over sterling £200k public expenditure and include Portsmouth, Southampton and potentially the IOW in the end product
- Commissioned, and will issue in late Autumn, Informing our Future 2008, the seventh edition of our flagship Hampshire economic research. This edition focuses on smart growth, sustainable propserity and global competitiveness
- Major focus on the right approach and prioritisation for inward investment into Hampshire. Rebuilt links and communications with the SEEDA UKT&I team
Convened a number of events and workshops focused on current economic and infrastructure issues namely:
- April I&E task group sponsored Enterprise boot camp at Southampton Solent University
- June held a breakfast event to gather input for Informing our future 2008
- June Rural task group sponsored Hampshire farming conference attracting a larger audience than in previous years
- July participation in the SE marine schools challenge sponsored by the Marine policy task group
- Successfully completed a two year project, Constructing our Future, via the B&C task group. Directly addressed the acute construction skills shortage in Hampshire working with local schools on a variety of construction projects. Pupils from Key stage 2 (7-11years)and Key stage 3 (11-14 years) learned about a wide range of jobs within the construction industry. Industry Champions from a wide range of occupations visited the schools and gave further information on their area of expertise.
- Developing and maintaing relationships with Hampshire Corporates by strengthening the team with the addtion of two Investor Development Managers
- Enhanced image and awareness of HEP as a leading Business support and engagement organization in Hampshire and the SE
- Strengthened the HEP board through increased business and university participation.
